Read Online Matters of the Blood by Maria Lima - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Maria Lima
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far. My night vision was excellent, but tonight it was useless; it was much too dark and the rain completely obscured any view. If I hadn't known better, I'd have sworn I'd seen a creature that ran by on two legs, then four; a shapeshifter, one of my own clan. But it couldn't be.
"Did you see what it was?” Adam spoke quickly.
"It went by too fast,” I answered quickly. “It looked pretty big, though, whatever it was. Maybe a wildcat. I'm not sure. I don't think it ran like a deer."
I wasn't quite lying. It hadn't run like a deer. It had run like a wolf ... one that spent part of its life on two legs instead of four. But there aren't any wolves in Texas. Right? Not even were—at least not any more, not that I knew of. At least not in the Hill Country. Maybe. Shit. I didn't really know. My family had cleared out, but that didn't mean someone else hadn't moved in without telling me. If that was the case, someone was going to be in for a world of hurt. This was still my family's acknowledged territory. As long as I was here, no other clan family could move in without permission. I almost smiled at the thought of having the chance to kick some supernatural booty. Playing Marty's babysitter for two years meant no opportunity to practice the fighting skills I'd learned. Even though I'd kept up my training, sparring at a dojo with a human who could get hurt was no substitute for a good confrontation.
Adam leaned forward and peered out into the rain-slashed darkness. “Is there something out there?” he asked. “Next to the road?"
I leaned forward and wiped the glass, trying to see. He was right, I couldn't see what, but something was just off the road, near a clump of mesquite bushes, a few yards away.
Oh, crap. I had to go look. As I opened the driver's door, a sudden gust of wind brought more than the smell of rain to my nose. Whatever was there was dead. Freshly dead. Predator, all right. But what kind?
"What is it?” His voice was terse, abrupt.
"I'm not sure."
Damn it, I needed to see what it was, whether or not it was another deer. If I could catch a sense of its killer, I might be able to figure out what was roaming around. I didn't think it would be dangerous out there. I'd put down some pretty serious odds that the predator had just crossed in front of my car, but I still didn't want to drag Adam into this. This may be his legal turf, but it was still my home turf. And someone was most definitely trespassing. Until I got closer, I wouldn't be able to identify it.
"Something's dead in those bushes,” I finally said. “Stay here, I'm going in to check.” I stepped out into the rain, ignoring the fact that I was going to get soaked again.
Seconds later, a movement immediately to my right startled me. Adam appeared at my side, not a foot away. He must have gotten out when I did. I must not have been paying attention. I'd thought he was still sitting in the car.
"You didn't have to come out and get wet, too."
His answer was quiet, but forceful. “It's my land. I need to look. Although, it's probably just a dead armadillo or something.” His nose wrinkled as if in distaste.
I shrugged. “If it's a dead armadillo it can stay there,” I said. “But if it could be ... something else."
"Human?"
His question startled me.
"What? No—I mean, it's too small."
I knew it wasn't a person. The smell was wrong, although I couldn't tell him that's how I knew.
I grabbed my Maglite from behind my car seat, shut the door and was already walking up the road, my hiking boots gripping the wet rocks. Adam walked to my left, his steps surprisingly sure and solid for a man walking in smooth-soled shoes on a slick gravel road.
The headlight beams didn't quite penetrate this far, so I snapped on the flashlight as I neared the clump of bushes. Lucky for me Mother Nature decided to cooperate just about then and turned off the overhead faucet. I blinked the last of the raindrops from my face.
Shit, I'd almost stepped on
"Did you see what it was?” Adam spoke quickly.
"It went by too fast,” I answered quickly. “It looked pretty big, though, whatever it was. Maybe a wildcat. I'm not sure. I don't think it ran like a deer."
I wasn't quite lying. It hadn't run like a deer. It had run like a wolf ... one that spent part of its life on two legs instead of four. But there aren't any wolves in Texas. Right? Not even were—at least not any more, not that I knew of. At least not in the Hill Country. Maybe. Shit. I didn't really know. My family had cleared out, but that didn't mean someone else hadn't moved in without telling me. If that was the case, someone was going to be in for a world of hurt. This was still my family's acknowledged territory. As long as I was here, no other clan family could move in without permission. I almost smiled at the thought of having the chance to kick some supernatural booty. Playing Marty's babysitter for two years meant no opportunity to practice the fighting skills I'd learned. Even though I'd kept up my training, sparring at a dojo with a human who could get hurt was no substitute for a good confrontation.
Adam leaned forward and peered out into the rain-slashed darkness. “Is there something out there?” he asked. “Next to the road?"
I leaned forward and wiped the glass, trying to see. He was right, I couldn't see what, but something was just off the road, near a clump of mesquite bushes, a few yards away.
Oh, crap. I had to go look. As I opened the driver's door, a sudden gust of wind brought more than the smell of rain to my nose. Whatever was there was dead. Freshly dead. Predator, all right. But what kind?
"What is it?” His voice was terse, abrupt.
"I'm not sure."
Damn it, I needed to see what it was, whether or not it was another deer. If I could catch a sense of its killer, I might be able to figure out what was roaming around. I didn't think it would be dangerous out there. I'd put down some pretty serious odds that the predator had just crossed in front of my car, but I still didn't want to drag Adam into this. This may be his legal turf, but it was still my home turf. And someone was most definitely trespassing. Until I got closer, I wouldn't be able to identify it.
"Something's dead in those bushes,” I finally said. “Stay here, I'm going in to check.” I stepped out into the rain, ignoring the fact that I was going to get soaked again.
Seconds later, a movement immediately to my right startled me. Adam appeared at my side, not a foot away. He must have gotten out when I did. I must not have been paying attention. I'd thought he was still sitting in the car.
"You didn't have to come out and get wet, too."
His answer was quiet, but forceful. “It's my land. I need to look. Although, it's probably just a dead armadillo or something.” His nose wrinkled as if in distaste.
I shrugged. “If it's a dead armadillo it can stay there,” I said. “But if it could be ... something else."
"Human?"
His question startled me.
"What? No—I mean, it's too small."
I knew it wasn't a person. The smell was wrong, although I couldn't tell him that's how I knew.
I grabbed my Maglite from behind my car seat, shut the door and was already walking up the road, my hiking boots gripping the wet rocks. Adam walked to my left, his steps surprisingly sure and solid for a man walking in smooth-soled shoes on a slick gravel road.
The headlight beams didn't quite penetrate this far, so I snapped on the flashlight as I neared the clump of bushes. Lucky for me Mother Nature decided to cooperate just about then and turned off the overhead faucet. I blinked the last of the raindrops from my face.
Shit, I'd almost stepped on
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